National City leaders vow civility post-election

Natividad back, Alvardo-Rios elected to new term

NATIONAL CITY  Mayor Ron Morrison said voters spoke loudly and clearly in reelecting him this week to a second term and vowed to work with his challenger, Councilwoman Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, and those newly elected to the council.

Morrison maintained a wide and early lead in a mayor’s race that included four candidates until one dropped out just before the election. He and Sotelo-Solis will be joined by former Councilman Luis Natividad and retired senior library technician Mona Alvarado-Rios, who were elected Tuesday to fill two open council seats.

“The last four years we’ve made a lot of progress and we also made a lot of long-range plans,” Morrison said. “Now, we need to make those plans happen and plan for the next five years.”

Sotelo-Solis, who was elected in 2008, challenged the mayor from a safe seat on the council. She returns to her council position with plans to “push some progressive policies” during her remaining two years on the council.

Morrison and Sotelo-Solis traded political barbs in the weeks leading up to the election. While each accused the other of election violations, both said they wanted to move past the campaign rhetoric and get to work.

Both also said they were excited to be working with the new council members.

Natividad, who left his seat on the council last year to take a job with the U.S. Census Bureau, said he appreciated the confidence voters had in him despite being told by challengers that he might leave office early again.

“It’s even more special because I know they were saying ‘Vote for me. I won’t quit,’” Natividad said. “But I think most people knew the importance of the Census. I was allowed to count National City, which has been under-counted for many years, so we can get more money from the feds and state. And I said before that I would be back, that I wasn’t really leaving, and that I might run again.”

Alvarado-Rios, who retired from her job late last year as a senior library technician to dedicate more time to her campaign, said it paid off. She said she walked the city and talked to people. She said she heard about the issues of residents and the business community and would work to solve them.

“I’m really excited and ready for everything’s that coming,” Alvarado-Rios said. “I’m thankful to the people who supported me and am committed to the whole community.”